People Watch

Judith Ruhe Diehl, one of the first two women elected Lehigh County commissioner, was honored Sunday at a lunch sponsored by the Program for Women and Families Inc.

Diehl was a founding member of the Allentown nonprofit and served on its board of directors for many years. The group integrates women offenders back into society.

Jennifer Rassler of Kempton placed second among 21 national contestants who competed for the title of National Beef Ambassador in October in New Orleans.

Her parents are Bryan and Robin Rassler of Kempton.

Rassler is a Penn State University student majoring in animal science. She received $1,200 cash and a $1,000 college scholarship.

After training, she will travel the country next year, discussing the nutritional value of beef.

This is the second year in a row that Pennsylvania has placed a student on the national ambassador team.

Rassler was named Pennsylvania's beef ambassador during the state competition in March.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has recognized Aaron D. Katz of West End Medical in Allentown as part of its Heart/Stroke Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patients with cardiovascular disease or who have had a stroke.

The program was designed to improve the quality of care for patients with cardiovascular disease or who have suffered a stroke.

Allentown resident Ed Ryan received Pennsylvania's 2007 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service in October, the association's most prestigious volunteer award.

Ryan has served as an AARP volunteer for more than 15 years and previously worked on the state legislative and long-term care task forces. Currently, he is an appointed AARP volunteer to the United Nations and was co-chairman of the U.N.'s International Day of Older Persons last year. Earlier this year, Ryan was recognized as an unsung hero in his community by the Lehigh County office of aging and adult services.

Lt. Col. Jeff Souder, a Quakertown native, is the new director of the Air and Missile Defense Battle Lab at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is the former product manager for the joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

A graduate of Penn State University, Souder was commissioned in 1985 in the Army Signal Corps. He earned a master's degree in national security and strategic studies at the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. His other military education includes signal officer's basic and advanced courses, Combined Arms and Services Staff School and the teleprocessing operations officer's course at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

He and his wife, Trisha, also of Quakertown, live in Texas with their two children.

-- Bill Tattersall

People Watch appears every Thursday. Send items for People Watch to news@mcall.com or The Morning Call, People Watch, P.O. Box 1260, Allentown 18105.